Ever used
the internet to order something and discovered that your goods will be
sent through a private delivery company? Then you'll have
read in your order confirmation something like Your order will be
delivered between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on 8 January.

No problem
there if youre a medium or large company, nor if one member of your
household is available to answer the doorbell at any moment during the
working day. However if youre a one-person company, or if you live
on your own, or if no-one in your household is available, youre
screwed. What happens?

The delivery
person arrives while youre in the bathroom, or when you popped out
to the corner store, or when you left to deal with something urgent, or
after you went to work. Then your order goes back to some depot in the
Styx and you spend hours on the phone with the delivery company tracing
your order and trying to arrange another time. Sometimes a company representative
even asks you to drive out to their depot and pick it up yourself 
some delivery service, that!

I congratulate
companies like Amazon.ca who have the good sense to send orders by Canada
Post. If Im not in when their package arrives, I receive a card
in my letter box and instructions to pick up the order at my local post
office which is 100 metres, not 10 km, away. Im no longer at the
mercy of a company which expects me to be 100% available for eight hours
of whichever working day they see fit to deliver.

Ive
asked several internet order companies to send goods by post (mail), adding
that I would gladly pay one or two dollars extra to avoid the inconvenience
of private delivery services. No go. Its always company
policy, a bizarre statement which has apparently replaced the equally
dubiious Im only obeying orders. So, its company
policy not to heed customers and not to provide customer service, even
when customers are prepared to pay the difference. Frankly, I find such
attitudes arrogant (were big and powrful and dont need
to bother about what you want) and hypocritical (we provide
a service to our customers). Lets stop this silliness, please!

Why do we
accept being treated like this? I no longer do. If the company cant
send the goods I pay for by post (mail), I cancel the order.